The Party Begins: Juice Wrld’s ‘The Ligh’ ignites ‘final’ posthumous album
When Lil Bibby divulged to fans that Juice Wrld’s upcoming album The Party Never Ends will be his last, there was a swarm of mixed emotions.
Some questioned what would happen to the countless unreleased tracks the late rapper stacked in his vault, others were happy Juices likeness would be put to rest. However you feel, it’s undisputed that Juice WRLD was one of the most talented emcees of our generation, as Grade A Productions kicks off his “final album” with its presumed lead single “The Light.”
“The Light,” which dropped on Thursday (March 23), is Juice’s latest posthumous single following “Face 2 Face” in December 2022. Prior to that, other afterlife cuts in “Cigarettes,” “BYE BYE” and “In My Head” also led in TPNE’s eventual re-announcement.
Perhaps A popular leak amongst the Juice WRLD community. “The Light” is perhaps the most fitting tribute to Juice in this era TPNE’s rollout. “When it’s dark outside, you’re always the light,” he croons on the opening lines, ghostly skating over contemplative electric guitars and a simple yet infectious pop-dance bounce. Love-torn anthems are Juice WRLD’s forte, as bars like “wouldn’t be real love without rough nights” hit harder knowing the “demons that are deep inside” have always played his thoughts.
Plans to release The Party Never Ends were originally unveiled in the summer of 2021. It will be the late Chicago rapper’s third and final posthumous project, as its release date has yet to be announced. “The last Juice WRLD album is in the works,” Bibby wrote on Instagram in February. We Want this album to feel like a celebration…We miss you, we love. 999 til the world ends.”
Amid the anticipation of TPNE, Juice’s catalog was sold to Opus Music Group in early 2022 in a whopping nine-figure deal, per a report from Billboard. The deal included “hundreds” of unreleased Juice WRLD tracks as well as the entirety of his release catalog. While Grade A Production retained ownership of Juice’s master recordings, Opus now holds 90% of his interest in master recording income and his 90% share of publishing ownership.
Juice WRLD still commands one of the most dedicated fan bases in the industry, totalling over 31 million Spotify Monthly listeners and asserting his status as a Top 10 hitmaker in his life. His debut project Goodbye & Good Riddance put him on the map with tracks like “Lean Wit Me,” All Girls Are The Same” and of course “Luci Dreams.” His last record while alive was 2019’s Death Race For Love – which has arguably become Juice’s magnum opus amongst die-hard fans.
Posthumous work in Legends Never Die, Fighting Demons as well as an exclusive HBO documentary. “Into The Abyss,” shined a light on Juice WRLD’s ceaseless battle with addiction, which ultimately took his life on Dec. 8 2020 – nearly a week after his 21’s birthday.
